A new photo exhibition aims to shed light on the reality of modern slavery in the UK

illegal migration bill

Credit: Getty

News


A new photo exhibition aims to shed light on the reality of modern slavery in the UK

By Shahed Ezaydi

2 years ago

2 min read

‘Objective’ has gathered the stories of five survivors of modern slavery told through everyday objects.


A joint work created by National Geographic photojournalist Amy Romer, the Global Reporting Centre’s Emma Barnes-Lewis, and the NGO After Exploitation, will unveil a photo series at the modern slavery conference being held at the University of Bath on 20 and 21 September.

The project titled ‘Objective’ has gathered the testimonies of five survivors of modern slavery told through everyday objects that helped them recover after experiencing trauma and rebuild their lives. Some of the objects featured include a mobile phone, umbrella and a jewellery box.

The photo exhibition comes off the back of the Nationality and Borders Bill becoming law in May 2022, which includes new policies on immigration, asylum and victims of modern slavery. The law put a stricter determination process on survivors of modern slavery, which could narrow the types of support they can access. It also introduced a time limit on providing evidence for a modern slavery case and a ban on support for survivors who have received a sentence of 12 months or more.

The organisers behind ‘Objective’ are hoping that the testimonies of the survivors, charting their journey through the UK’s modern slavery determination process, will shed light on the reality of the Nationality and Borders Bill and envision a path towards a more equitable and caring future for modern slavery survivors.

objective photo exhibition

Credit: After Exploitation

As well as the personal side to the stories, the exhibition will also include clear policy recommendations from survivors and campaigners, such as a proposed information ‘firewall’ to protect victims of crime from immigration enforcement, as suggested by one of the survivors Anna*. “Victims of any crime should not be treated as ‘immigration issues’. It makes the police blind to victims, because they are not looking out for the signs of vulnerability, they are searching for ‘migrants’,” she says.

Speaking to Stylist about the photo series exhibition, director of After Exploitation Maya Esslemont said: “As these interviews highlight, access to counselling, safe housing or even healthcare after serious abuse is a lottery for survivors of modern slavery. Under new laws, survivors are not protected from immigration reprisals, even if they provide all the evidence demanded of them.”

They went on to say that through this work it’s become clear that, from setting up opportunity networks to researching points of law for friends, “survivors are frequently shouldering responsibility for gaps in formal support, which is a burden so rarely discussed in modern slavery reportage.”

Esslemont adds, “We are so thankful to the interviewees who trusted us with their stories and objects, and who provided so much insight into how much crueller the system will become unless we reverse measures in the Illegal Migration Act and Nationality and Borders Act.”


Image: Getty

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